Safe & Sound
by BlueAquarisGirl
Summary: Slightly AU. Sasuke has returned to Konoha and he has taken a hostage; none other than his former teammate, Sakura Haruno. He won't tell her why, and she quickly learns that things are much more complicated than she ever imagined.
1. PROLOGUE

A/N:Long story short, I decided to re-write Bittersweet, and change the name, because my idea for the plot changed drastically and I didn't like the way I had written so far.

But now I have a beta, the wonderful **8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83**, who will be helping me all throughout this story. If you leave a review, give her a shout-out :D

I probably won't be updating this for quite awhile (like 1+ weeks), due to final papers and exams that pretty much take up all my free time. But as soon as I get a chance, the next chapter will be up for you guys to read.

In the meantime, enjoy this chapter, and if you get a chance, leave a review and let me know what you think :D Constructive criticism is the best!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or their names, which belong to Masashi Kishimoto, or the quote by Ben Franklin used below. I only own the plot for this story and OCs I've created. I do not intend to make any profit by writing this story.

* * *

Safe & Sound

A Naruto Fanfiction

_Written by_

**~BlueAquarisGirl~**

_Beta-read by_

**~8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83~**

* * *

"You and I were long friends: you are now my enemy, and I am yours."

-Benjamin Franklin

* * *

PROLOGUE

_This time, we'll find him for sure._

Over and over again, Sakura Haruno chanted these words to herself like a mantra as she sprinted down the long, dimly lit corridors of the underground bunker, closely followed by Yamato and Naruto. Vaguely, Sakura realized that Sai was no longer with them and wondered where he had gone, but said nothing to her companions. She figured the former ROOT shinobi had simply decided to break from the group in order to cover more ground; it seemed to be a habit of his.

Briefly, the trio paused to check one of the rooms lining the corridor. Opening the door just a crack, Sakura glanced quickly inside the room, and a moment later, turned back to her teammates with a shake of her head.

"Empty."

And then they were off again, this time with Naruto leading the way. He and Sakura took turns checking the rooms and found every single one of them empty. Still, the young shinobi and their sensei pressed on. When they had investigated each of the rooms in one corridor, Naruto, Sakura and Yamato moved on to another corridor.

Each empty room they encountered only increased their frustration. But at the same time, it also made Sakura and Naruto more determined to keep going. To not give up the hope that, eventually, they would find _something; _a clue or hint that would lead them to the person they so desperately wanted to find.

Many times, they'd been called fools, and were told that their search would only bring them misery, but both had stubbornly refused to believe such talk; they were too scared to consider that it might be true and what the consequences would be.

Over the past few months, they had infiltrated at least a dozens of sites that had once served as hideouts for Orochimaru and his followers. More often than not, the searches had proved to be a waste of time and effort. They had found no trace of the ex-sanin, or their former teammate in these places.

At the last hideout, however, Team 7 had discovered something truly gruesome and unlike anything they'd ever imagined—a room filled with the bodies of those Orochimaru had used as unwilling test-subjects, branded with the all-to-familiar Cursed Seal, some of them appearing to be only children. Most of their faces were mutilated beyond recognition or so contorted that they no longer looked human. The walls and floors had been spattered with blood, the putrid smell of rotting flesh thick in the air. The sight had been so horrific that even Sai, whose expression normally remained blank and aloof, had looked disturbed by what they'd found.

As a medic, Sakura knew that one often saw terrible things on the battlefield, and that death was an inevitable part of the ninja way; but seeing those bodies, she had felt it was simply _too much_ for even the most experienced shinobi to handle.

An involuntary shiver ran up her spine as she recalled the incident, and Sakura brushed the memory away, turning her focus instead to the room Naruto was now looking into. From over his shoulder, Sakura could see that this room was empty, just like the others. He turned away from the door, grimacing. He let out a noise, somewhere between a roar and a growl; it bounced off the stone walls of the corridor, echoing loudly.

_"SASUKE!"_

Without another word, Naruto took off running again, so fast that Sakura and Yamato could barely up keep up with him.

"Naruto, what are you—"Sakura broke off with a sharp gasp.

The whole corridor began to shake violently, and there was a deafening crashing sound, almost like an explosion, Sakura thought.

Up ahead, she could see bright light at the end of the corridor—_the sun?—_as well as someone dressed all in black sprawled out on the ground…

It was Sai.

Sakura, Naruto and Yamato rushed towards him. He was standing up slowly, and looked, for the most part, unharmed. Sakura opened her mouth to ask what had happened and to tell Sai that he should let her check him over, but she saw he was looking up at something, and then she heard someone say her name.

_"Sakura."_

To her ears, the voice sounded both foreign and familiar at the same time; she hadn't heard it in over three years, and it was deeper than she remembered. Slowly, Sakura turned her gaze in the same direction as Sai's and saw the silhouette of a figure standing high above them. Her heart was racing, and she trembled slightly as the figure stepped into the sunlight, allowing her to see more clearly who the person was. At the first glimpse of him, her breath caught painfully in her throat, and there was a dull ache in her chest, almost like fire.

_"Sasu…ke…" _Sakura whispered his name almost in disbelief, half-convinced that he was merely a figment of her imagination. So many times, she had imagined this moment over and over again, letting it play out in her head; and yet, it was nothing like what she had anticipated.

Sakura had always thought Sasuke would look as he had the night he'd left Konoha, completely neglecting the fact that three years had passed since then—he had grown several inches taller, his hair was longer and his complexion considerably paler. The most significant difference, however, was in his expression. He had always been good at hiding his emotions, but Sasuke seemed to regard his former teammates with an air of contempt; his eyes were devoid of any warmth, or even the slightest bit of familiarity. He may as well not have recognized them at all.

Sakura's attention was drawn away from this cold, unfeeling Sasuke, who was like a stranger to her, as Naruto addressed him angrily, mentioning something about breaking a bond. Sasuke, in reply, claimed he had spared his life 'on a whim'. The next thing she knew he had disappeared from his high perch and re-appeared a few feet away in front of Naruto; close enough that if Sakura reached out, she could have easily touched him. She was too stunned, however, to take any action. Sasuke leaned in towards Naruto, whispering something to him in such a low voice that Sakura couldn't understand what he was saying. Both Yamato and Sai stood somewhere off to her right, tense and ready to spring into action.

When Sasuke drew out a long, hooked sword from the sheath on his back, she cried out in horror.

_"NARUTO!"_

Sasuke plunged the sword into his former teammate's chest, but there was no blood; in a puff of smoke, Naruto disappeared and the Uchiha looked both surprised and outraged. For her part, Sakura had never been more relived and was impressed by Naruto's cunning.

"Really, Naruto," Sasuke sneered mockingly. "Couldn't you have come up with something a little more _original_? Or are you just too afraid to face me?"

_Where did he go? _Sakura wondered, glancing around.

Sasuke scoffed. "So this is how the great Naruto Uzamaki acts in the face of danger?_ By abandoning his teammates?_" He smirked. "_How pathetic_."

Naruto appeared behind him. "I haven't abandoned anyone yet, and I don't plan to," he retorted.

"Hn. You're too late, Naruto," Sasuke said, facing him. "You may as well give up on the idea of bringing me home. I have no intention of going back."

The blonde-haired boy's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, his eyes searching the vacant, detached ones of his best friend.

"I said I would never give up on you, because you're my friend, and I meant it!" He balled his hands into tight fists. "We've been searching for you all this time, Sasuke. And now that we finally found you, you say you don't want to go back? _Are you crazy? _What could you possibly hope to gain from Orochimaru?"

"You don't understand and you never will. But that's your problem, not mine. I guess you'll just spend the rest of your life refusing to accept that you can't save me."

Naruto snarled and lunged towards Sasuke, arm raised in preparation to strike; at the last possible moment, he vanished.


	2. CHAPTER ONE

A/N:Yay! An update! 3 weeks later isn't too bad, right? xD I leave for camp in 3 weeks and after that I probably won't have time to update very often because I'll be gone Sunday-Friday and then I come home Friday nights and I go back on Sunday. And I'll be doing this until August 10th, but I am pretty excited even though the thought of being with a bunch of hormonal and distressed pre-teenage girls is kinda frightening xD It will be fun, I think.

Anyway, I'd like to thank **Tukiko K, Alyssa Michele and Karumi-Uchiha-Haruno, mistressinwaiting** and **Shana** for reviewing;** Alyssa Michele **asked if the title of the story was inspired by the Taylor Swift song 'Safe and Sound' and the answer to that question is yes and no xD I came up with the title off the top of my head, actually, but the odd thing is I was listening to that when I was writing the first chapter so it was stuck in my head; it is such a pretty and sad little song. I can't tell you whether or not this fic will be sad-some parts might be, but for the most part I think it will be happy. :D

Once again, this chapter looks spic and span thanks to the awesomeness of my beta-reader **8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83**; so make sure that if you leave a review to give her a shout out.

And now, without further ado, enjoy this chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or their names, which belong to Masashi Kishimoto, or the quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson used below. I only own the plot for this story and OCs I've created. I do not intend to make any profit by writing this story.

* * *

Safe & Sound

A Naruto Fanfiction

_Written by_

**~BlueAquarisGirl~**

_Beta-read by_

**~8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83~**

* * *

"Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?"

-Alfred Lord Tennyson

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

_She stood in the middle of a meadow filled with flowers of every variety and color, and big, shady trees. The sun was shining and there was not one cloud in the clear blue sky. She heard laughter and turned to see Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi-sensei waving for her to follow them. _

_The grass tickled her bare feet as she ran, chasing after her teammates, unable to keep from smiling and laughing too. A gentle breeze blew across her face and through her hair, loosening it from the braid she had tied it into with red ribbons. _

"_Wait for me!" She giggled, scrambling up a small hill. _

_She continued to follow them, but eventually had to stop and catch her breath. The breeze picked up and rustled the leaves on a nearby tree. Peering into the distance, she could make out the figures of Naruto, Kakashi and Sai — they appeared to be much further away than before. _

_She started to run again, wondering where they were leading her. Though she was getting tired, she kept telling herself that she would catch up with them soon, and pushed herself to go faster. _

_Finally, she saw that someone was waiting for her up ahead. The sun was too bright for her to tell who it was, but she was relieved, nevertheless. As she neared the person, they turned towards her; she froze when she recognized their face. _

Sasuke.

_Standing beneath the sun at this angle, his skin seemed to glow ethereally, as if he were some sort of spirit sent down from the heavens. He wore a plain robe of all white, a long and broad sword rested in a sheath at his waist. When he looked at her, there was a smile on his face—the kind of smile that said, 'I know a secret that you don't.' _

_She advanced towards him, slowly, and had only taken a few steps before he darted off. She called his name and chased after him, as she had the others; but unlike before, she would not let him get away. Her heart pounded as adrenaline seeped into her blood, rushing through her veins. He led her into a forest, through tangled trees and darkness that seemed to close in on her as they went further and further. Her lungs protested, but she did not — would not, stop. _

_He vanished suddenly, just as the others had. She was now in the middle of the woods, and there was no way out — the way she had come from was blocked, and there was no other path to take. She heard movement, but could not identify from which direction the sound was coming from. In the shadows, menacing voices whispered words she was unable to distinguish. _

_She was trapped._

_A loud snapping noise had her whirling around and she came face to face with Sasuke; except, it wasn't Sasuke. His skin was now ashen, his pupils dark, eyes reduced to thin slits, his once handsome face now twisted and deformed almost beyond recognition; the sight made her sick to her stomach. With a cruel smirk, he reached for the hilt of the sword and drew it out from its sheath; as if witnessing the whole thing from far away, she watched as he raised it and, in one fell swoop, ran the blade right through her chest._

_His cold, high laughter echoed in her ears, and above that, she heard the sound of her own piercing scream._

* * *

Sakura sat straight up in bed, awakening abruptly from her nightmare — the same one she'd been having for almost a week now For once, she was thankful that Kyou had not spent the night; as much as she would have appreciated his comfort right now, she did not want to make her boyfriend worry about her any more than he already did. That, and Sakura was afraid that if he heard her crying out the name of her former teammate in her sleep, Kyou would ask questions. Questions she wasn't keen on answering. She had already decided, some time ago, to not let the feelings she still had for Sasuke have any part in her relationship with Kyou. He knew only the most basic details, like most other civilians in Konoha, and she wanted to keep it that way.

_The less he knows, the better off he is _

A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table told Sakura she had only a few hours before her shift at the hospital started, so she rolled over onto her stomach to try and go back to sleep.

As she drifted off, Sakura wondered where Sasuke was at this very minute, if he was sleeping, and said a silent little prayer that he was okay.

* * *

_Her mouth and eyes were open wide in horror as he plunged the sword into her. _

_He stabbed the blade deeper, his lips curling back into a sneer. She gasped softly and fell to her knees. Blood trickled out of her mouth and down her chin, and as he withdrew the sword, a red flower bloomed on her chest, staining the clean white dress she wore. Her eyes were half-lidded and dim; the light he had seen in them many times before was gone. _

"_Sasuke "She held his gaze steadily, and her blood-smeared lips twitched into a faint smile before she collapsed to the ground. He stood over her lifeless body and laughed in a high, cold voice that rang in the darkness. _

* * *

Obsidian eyes snapping open, Sasuke Uchiha woke very suddenly, his heart pounding rapidly, like he had just been running a far distance.

When a few moments had passed, he became aware of the searing pain on the back of his neck; reaching with one hand, he gingerly touched the Cursed Mark, feeling that it was slightly raised — no doubt, it was due to the dream he had just had.

Or was it a nightmare?

He hadn't really given much thought to his former pink-haired teammate in the time since he'd left Konoha. Every once in a while, he would compare her to Karin, musing how annoying the two girls both were, but other than that, Sakura was never on his mind.

And yet, this was the second time he had fantasized, however unintentional it was, about killing her. It struck him as odd — he had only just seen her, for a few brief moments, about a week ago. He had not felt any urge to harm her, though she was now his enemy, and their 'reunion' had simply been a coincidence; not something he had intended to happen.

_Why should I care?_

Either way, Sasuke thought, it made no difference.

Sooner or later, he would encounter his former teammates on the battle-field and one of them would have to die; it was an inevitable fate that they could not avoid. Sasuke would not be the one to die, however — he had a destiny to fulfill, and therefore, death was not an option. If Sakura happened to die, he would feel no remorse, although he had a feeling that Naruto would sacrifice himself before he allowed her to be harmed. Sasuke scoffed. They were both fools. Naruto believed he could somehow force him to come back to Konoha and make everything right. As for Sakura, she was the same; a weak-willed and useless nuisance.

Neither saw how he had changed, how he had finally become his true-self. Looking back, he was unsure why he had ever thought it was possible to achieve happiness without avenging his clan now he knew better.

_They don't understand...nobody does...nobody ever wil... _

The pain in his neck subsided to the point where it was merely an annoying, but bearable, stinging sensation. Determined to lose no further rest over such trivial matters concerning his former teammates, Sasuke lay back down and drifted off to sleep once more, vowing that he would not let Naruto and Sakura, or anyone else for that matter, stand in the way of his plans.


	3. CHAPTER TWO

A/N:Second update this week! A big thanks to **blondebarbievamp **and **Rosebunse **for reviewing, and as always, to my beta, **8D SerenityCrystal Tea****r** **83**,for being so awesome and reading over this chapter and correcting my mistakes.

There's not much else to say about this chapter, so without further ado, read and enjoy and don't forget to review if you have the chance! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters or their names, which belong to Masashi Kishimoto, or the quote by Moliere used below. I only own the plot for this story and OCs I've created. I do not intend to make any profit by writing this story.

* * *

Safe & Sound

A Naruto Fanfiction

_Written by_

**~BlueAquarisGirl~**

_Beta-read by_

**~8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83~**

* * *

"If you suppress grief too much, it can well redouble."

-Moliere

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

Team 7 returned from the encounter with their ex-teammate late at night and therefore, did not go to the Hokage until the next morning to make a report.

Naruto and Yamato did most of the talking, and Sai added in a comment or two of his own, while Sakura was totally silent as she stood off to the side.

As always, it was hard to tell what Tsunade was thinking as she sat at her desk, listening to them re-account the tale, her hands folded under her chin. Her brow furrowed a little at one point, but other than that her expression remained unreadable. When Naruto finished up the story, the Fifth Hokage was silent for a few moments.

Then, she leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Well, at the very least, we know Sasuke is alive for sure. It gives us one less thing to worry about. I'll have to consider what the next step is, but Team 7 will be back on regular assigned missions until further notice. I'll send word to the other villages to keep an eye out for any possible activity by Sasuke or Sound."

"And you'll tell us the _moment _you hear something, right, Grandma?" Naruto said, giving Tsunade a pointed look.

"Perhaps," she said. "But in the meantime, I want you to concentrate on other, more important things, like your training. Sasuke will have reported to Orochimaru by now, so it's very likely that he'll be careful not to cross paths with us or any other ninja unless he has some scheme in mind. The best thing for us to do until that happens is go on with life as if nothing has changed." Tsunade's gaze was fixed on Naruto as she said this, but he seemed oblivious that she was mostly lecturing him and not the others and waved a hand at her dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, Granny—we won't bug you too much." He grinned.

Despite his reassurance, everyone else in the room knew he would probably show up every day and badger Tsunade; it would be a miracle if he didn't get himself thrown out the window of the Hokage Tower, or better yet, pummeled to the point where he'd have to go to the hospital.

"If that is all," Tsunade said, "You may leave. I'll let you know when I have a new mission for you."

Naruto ran out of the room, mentioning something about going to get Ramen to Sai and Yamato. Sakura turned to follow, but she only made it as far away as the door before she heard Tsunade call her back. Unsurprised, she paused and turned around, eyebrow raised in question.

"Yes, my Lady?"

"I just wanted to ask how you are doing," Tsunade said.

She was regarding Sakura closely, and the younger girl felt almost as if her sensei could see right through her and how jumbled up her emotions were; she didn't like it, no more than she liked that Tsunade was singling her out.

_It's because of Sasuke, _Sakura thought bitterly.

She had spent the last three years training vigorously under the female sanin, constantly pushing herself beyond her normal limits, becoming stronger, faster, fiercer, and sharpening her skills with medical jutsus. For all of this, she had gained a small amount of fame and attention, among the doctors she worked with at the hospital, the civilians she treated, and even some ninja outside Konoha. Men noticed her curves and looked at her like she was a woman, instead of just some scrawny girl with abnormally colored hair; enemies regarded her with a mixture of astonishment and often fear.

She was truly a force to be reckoned with, and yet, some people still saw her as weak, at least in matters where Sasuke Uchiha was involved.

"I'm fine." Sakura's tone was a little more defensive than she'd intended, and immediately her anger subsided and she winced, averting her eyes to the wood floor of Tsunade's office and biting her lip hard enough to make it bleed.

"I realize that seeing Sasuke was probably hardest for you," Tsunade continued, her gaze softening a bit. "Since you were the last person he spoke to."

Sakura nodded, silently and guiltily realizing that she wasn't being singled out; her sensei was just concerned about her. But who could blame her for reacting the way she did when she had worked so hard to reinvent herself and leave the old Sakura behind?

"If you ever need to talk to someone, Shizune and I will be here to listen."

She looked up at the older woman with a small smile. "I appreciate your concern, shishou, but I think I'll be okay." Sakura bowed her head respectfully, and then went to leave the room again.

"Sakura."

This time, her hand was about to turn the knob on the door and open it when the Hokage called her back.

She turned around.

"My Lady?"

Tsunade appeared to want to say something further, but she shook her head.

"It's nothing. Please close the door on your way out."

Shrugging off her curiosity at what Tsunade had meant to say, Sakura bid her sensei a good afternoon and left the Hokage Tower, making the short walk back to her apartment.

Once she was safely inside the familiar space, surrounded by four walls, Sakura let the tears she had been holding in flow freely, unsure of whether or not they were tears of relief, anger or sorrow, or perhaps even a combination of the three.

It was hard to say what she really felt anymore.


End file.
